The beginning of this week it felt like fall. Chilly. The weather has been lovely today and yesterday and it looks like that will continue for the weekend. Yay!! So lets have some fun outside before another rainy wet and cold spell hits. I’ve got a couple ideas for the weekend, although honestly my top choice is taking an afternoon nap under a tree after a long work week.

Photo from hikingessentials.net

1. Take a Fall Hike: Head to Ned, or the mountains, or now really any park you wish. The weather is perfect and all across Boulder the trees have at least some leaves turned golden. Remember layers and of course hello it’s Colorado, sunscreen.
2. Barktoberfest: Looking for a fun and charitable way to drink beer outdoors with a bunch of dog-loving Boulderites? This first annual event held at Liquormart by the Humane Society of Boulder Valley should be great- beer and wine tasting for $10, live music, free goodies especially for your pets, vendors, and food trucks.
3. Visit a Pumpkin Patch: There’s a few local ones that let you pick your own pumpkin and may include other activities. Munson Farms has a little corn maze and frightening scare crows along with their pumpkin patch and other seasonal produce. Other pumpkin patches include Cottonwood Farm, Ollin Farms, and Rock Creek Farm.
4. Harvest Farm Fall Festival: While it’s a bit of a drive, this place has all the fall activities you could think of! Very family friendly and ongoing every weekend until Halloween. Seriously a 10 acre corn maze…
5. Oh Deer- Elk, and Moose: A naturalist led hike at Caribou Ranch Open Space near Nederland. Hopefully you’ll see some wildlife, or at least some lovely leaves.

Lizzie Etzel

Lizzie works as a seasonal for City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, spending her days among the flora and fauna of Boulder both on and off the job. When it comes to knowing what to do and whats going on in the numerous open spaces around Boulder, Lizzie is your girl. After graduating from the University of Texas with a Geography: Environmental Resource Management degree, she came to Salida, CO to work in the San Juan National Forest and surrounding areas on a trail crew. Previously she has worked for Boulder County Parks and Open Space, other trail crews, and as an environmental educator. She has a passion for spreading environmental knowledge and bringing nature straight to the people.